The World Table

An interactive culinary compendium: recipes, lexicon and study

The larder by region · Chef de Partie

Southeastern Vegetables

Fresh, local, seasonal.

19 on the plate · read, never graded

Southeastern Vegetables: an illustrated reference plate. Its full text is transcribed below.
Open the plate at full size for the small print. Pinch to zoom on a phone.

What the plate gets wrong

The picture was generated, and these are its errors of fact, checked against the kitchen and the Lexicon. Read the plate with them.

  • Southern Peas prints “May to August”. Fresh Southern peas in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama come in from about June through September. Cowpeas are sown only after the last frost and need 60 to 90 days to reach the green shell stage, so the fresh crop arrives in early summer and runs into September rather than starting in May.
  • Broccoli prints “California, Georgia, Florida”. Broccoli's Where line should name Southeastern states only, such as Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. California is on the West Coast and lies outside the Gulf South, Atlantic Coast and Appalachia that the plate's own region line and map define, while every other box names only Southeastern states.

On the plate

The vegetables

  • Okra Season July to OctoberWhere Florida, Louisiana, GeorgiaFlavor Grassy, vegetal, mildly sweet, distinctive mucilaginous texture (technically a fruit, culinary a vegetable) The Lexicon
  • Collard Greens Season November to FebruaryWhere Georgia, South Carolina, North CarolinaFlavor Earthy, mineral, slightly bitter, hearty The Lexicon
  • Mustard Greens Season October to MarchWhere Louisiana, Mississippi, AlabamaFlavor Peppery, pungent, pleasantly bitter The Lexicon
  • Turnip Season October to FebruaryWhere Georgia, Alabama, TennesseeFlavor Crisp, peppery, mildly sweet, earthy The Lexicon
  • Sweet Potato Season August to NovemberWhere N. Carolina, Mississippi, LouisianaFlavor Sweet, earthy, creamy The Lexicon
  • Southern Peas(Field Peas) Season May to AugustWhere Georgia, South Carolina, AlabamaFlavor Nutty, earthy, subtly sweet
  • Butter Beans(Lima Beans) Season July to SeptemberWhere Georgia, Alabama, MississippiFlavor Creamy, buttery, mildly sweet
  • Snap Beans Season May to SeptemberWhere N. Carolina, Tennessee, GeorgiaFlavor Crisp, grassy, fresh
  • Bell Pepper Season May to OctoberWhere Georgia, Florida, South CarolinaFlavor Crisp, sweet, vegetal The Lexicon
  • Eggplant Season June to OctoberWhere Florida, Georgia, AlabamaFlavor Mild, earthy, creamy
  • Summer Squash(Yellow Squash) Season May to SeptemberWhere Florida, Georgia, TennesseeFlavor Tender, mild, grassy, lightly sweet The Lexicon
  • Zucchini Season May to SeptemberWhere Georgia, Florida, AlabamaFlavor Mild, fresh, vegetal The Lexicon
  • Cucumber Season May to SeptemberWhere Georgia, Florida, South CarolinaFlavor Cool, crisp, refreshing The Lexicon
  • Cabbage Season October to MarchWhere N. Carolina, Georgia, VirginiaFlavor Crisp, sweet, sulfurous (when cooked)
  • Broccoli Season October to MarchWhere California, Georgia, FloridaFlavor Green, earthy, mildly bitter The Lexicon
  • Cauliflower Season November to FebruaryWhere Florida, Georgia, South CarolinaFlavor Mild, nutty, earthy The Lexicon
  • Sweet Corn Season June to SeptemberWhere Georgia, Louisiana, MississippiFlavor Sweet, juicy, buttery, grassy The Lexicon
  • Peanut Season September to NovemberWhere Georgia, Alabama, FloridaFlavor Rich, nutty, savory
  • Pumpkin / Winter Squash Season October to JanuaryWhere Tennessee, North CarolinaFlavor Sweet, earthy, nutty

Also on the plate

The region

  • Rich soil
  • Warm sun
  • Clean water
  • Great food

The map

  • The Southeast
  • Appalachian Mountains
  • N. Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • S. Carolina
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • Louisiana
  • Florida
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Gulf of Mexico

Vegetable cuts & preparation

  • Whole
  • Sliced
  • Diced
  • Julienne
  • Wedges
  • Rounds
  • Halved
  • Chopped
  • Leafy chiffonade

Flavor profile key

  • Sweet
  • Bitter
  • Earthy
  • Grassy
  • Peppery
  • Nutty
  • Creamy
  • Crisp
  • Juicy
  • Savory
  • Note: Okra is a fruit botanically, but is culinarily treated as a vegetable.

Quiz yourself

Up to 8 questions drawn from the plate, answers and all. Nothing is recorded: the plate is a reference, and the deck and the Lexicon are where a word is graded.

Printed around the edge: Fresh, local, seasonal. · From the fertile fields to the Southern table. A celebration of regional harvests. · Good food grows here · Gulf South, Atlantic Coast, Appalachia · Local harvests, Southern traditions, seasonal flavors